Ximena Conde

Ximena started as RIPR's Morning Edition producer in January of 2017. She researches, reports and produces stories you hear every morning.

She got her public radio bearings in Chicago, where she was a production assistant for the WFMT Radio Network where she helped out on classical music shows in development.

Ximena attended Rutgers University where she completed a B.S. in Supply Chain Management - best explained as "procurement and logistics." A New York City native, her favorite state to live in is Rhode Island.

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Over the weekend the city of Warwick celebrated the 245th anniversary of the burning of the British ship, the HMS Gaspee. Many Rhode Islanders consider it one of the earliest clashes in the American Revolution. The skirmish is often overshadowed by the better known Boston Tea Party, which took place more than a year later.

Now a group of Brown University students is working to raise the profile of the Gaspee Affair. They're creating a virtual reality experience aimed at middle and high school students.

High-speed ferry service from Providence to Newport returns this Friday. The ferry launched last July and proved popular, making more than 33,000 trips between the Providence waterfront, and downtown Newport. The service was introduced as a way of encouraging tourists to explore both cities, and help reduce heavy traffic congestion in Newport.

A proposal that would protect scientists and academic researchers from disclosing early research through public records requests is one step closer to becoming law. Researchers in other states, including Arizona, were reporting harassment through records requests, which were slowing down their work, particularly in the field of climate change.

A new study reports a 46 percent increase in fentanyl-related overdose deaths from 2014 to 2016 in Rhode Island. The study was authored by researchers at the Warren Alpert School of Medicine at Brown University.

State leaders and members of the scientific community are expressing concern after President Donald Trump announced that the U.S. will pull out of the Paris Climate Accord. At a White House press conference Thursday, the President said the U.S. would exit the 190-nation agreement to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The only other nations that remain outside of the agreement are Nicaragua and Syria.

With Memorial Day over, the summer tourism season is now underway. Industry experts have high hopes for the coming months. According the Rhode Island Commerce Corporation, about 40 percent of all tourist spending in the state happens between June and August.